Pipe cleaning tool



Jan. 12, 1954 v. s. HARLIN 2,665,765

PIPE CLEANING TOOL Filed Oct, 5, 1949 Van'n e y 5. Har/fn INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. l2, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIPE CLEANING TOOL Varney S. Harlin, Oklahoma City, Okla. Application October 3, 1949, Serial No. 119,342 3 claims. (01.166-18) I such wells.

In producing oil and gas from cased wells, it is common practice to lowera string of production tubing into the well casing to reach the producing stratum, so that the well fluid may llow upwardly to the earths surface through such string. In order to utilize the natural uid pressure in the well as a boosting agent for the production fluid, it is common practice to provide the tubing string with a resilient packer for sealing the annulus between the string and the well casing. Such packers are located at a vertical point above theproduction stratum, and in order to function efciently, they must have a perfect seal with the inside surface of the well casing.

In many instanceawell packers fail to operate efliciently because of extraneous matter ori deposit which has adhered to the casing surface. The prime object of the present invention is to provide a casing cleaning tool or scraper which may be mounted on the tubing string subjacent the packer, and which willract to scrape the casing clean ahead of the packer, as the string is being lowered therein.

AA further object is to provide a tool of this class which has no moving parts to become worn or to get out of order.

Another object is to provide a tool which will not hang or foul in the casing joints, as it is being lowered.

An additional object is to provide a tool which has a lower annular casing scraping edge, and which has vertically disposed ribs thereabove for breaking up deposited matter which has been scraped from the casing by said lower edge.

Another object is to provide a tool of this class which is simple to install.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view, vertical section;

Figure 2 is a bottom view; and

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are horizontal sectional views taken substantially along the respective lines 3 3, 4 4, and 5--5 of Fig. 1.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral I indicates a fragment partially in of conventional well casing. and 2 indicates the lower portion of a section or sub oi conventional production tubing, to the upper end of which a conventional well packer may be connected. The packer is not shown in the drawings.

The device of the presentinvention is adapted to be threadedly engaged with the lower end of the tubing section 2, so that it may be forced downwardly through the casing I when the tubing string is lowered therein.

The device of the present invention, per se, consists substantially of a tubate body I0 having an axial extending centralcore section 2|, with the upper end or" its bore tapered and threaded to connect the lower end of the tubing sub 2. Threads II are` provided for this purpose. Directly below the threads I I, the core section 2| is slightly flared, and is provided with threads I2 into which another tubing section, not shown, may be engaged.

Below the threads I2, the bore of the body I0 is enlarged abruptly to form a depending skirt section 20, the upper end of which terminates in a downwardly facing shoulder I3. The lower end of the skirt section 20 terminates in an annular cutting edge I4 which is adapted to contact and scrape the Wall of thecasing I. The lower edge I4 could be sharpened, if desired. The lower annular portion of the body I0 is imperforate toa point I 5 somewhat above the edge I4. The periphery of the body I0 is provided with radially extending circumferentially spaced vertical ribs I3 which extend upwardly above the lower imperforate portion of the body, beginning at the above described point I5. The ribs I6 are formed by cutting circumferentially spaced substantially rectangular notches, slots, or longitudinal grooves I1 into the body wall. The slots I1 are co-extensive longitudinally with the ribs IG, and are machined to a sufcient depth laterally, that their lower end portions cause side openings in the lower enlarged portion of the bore of the body I 0. These wall openings extend vertically from the point I5 upward to the internal shoulder I3, and are clearly shown in Fig. 4 where they are indicated by the reference numeral I8. The openings IB form passages through which well fluid may pass outwardly from the enlarged lower portion of the bore of the body I0, and by which the iluid may enter the vertical slots I'I to travel upwardly above the body.

In operation, when the tubing string and the body III are being lowered into the well casing I. the lower edge I4 acts to shear or scrape deposited matter from the inside surface of the casing. The loosened deposit matter may iind escape upwardly along the body through the slots or notches Il by entering the slots l1 below the shoulder I3 and above the point l5.

It is pointed out that in some instances it is found that the Well casing has partially collapsed below the earths surface. In such cases, when an attempt is made to lower a packer in a conventional manner through the restriction, the packer lodges and is often damaged materially. When the present device is run into the casing ahead of the packer, it meets the restriction and halts downward movement of the tubing string. The entire tubing string is then withdrawn from the casing, and a conventional expander Vis :then run into the casing to straightenout ,therestriction or deformity in the casing. The packer is therefore protected against damage 'by being wedged into the casing-restriction.

Obviously the invention is susceptible Vto Ysome change or alteration without 'defeating its .practicability, and I therefore do not lwish to be conned tothe preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described .'herein, .further than I am `limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A deposit removingtool'for use Yin well casing, and adapted tobe run on a string ofrproduction tubing ahead of-a well packerto'form a con tinuation of the-production channeliof 'the string, including: an :elongated tubular body lwhich is open at both ends; a-'central core section-of the body internally `threaded xto receive the adjacent ends of tubingstring sections above "and below the same; a lower-depending-'annular skirt'section of greater internal diameter than the -eX- ternal diameter of Ithe Score section; 'a circular cutting edge on lthe Vlower end of said skirt section; openings in the wall of said skirt section below said core section, and around the Ilower section of tubing, said openings providinga path for parain scraped lfrom the'well casing; and circumferentially spaced'vertical slots inthe eX- terior surfaceof said bodya'ndin'communication with said wall` openingsto form l a continuation -of said path for paraffin.

2. A scraper forthe'vcasinglof an loil wll, Vincluding: an elongatedvtubularfbo'dy 'open at vbeth ends to :form a continuation .of 'the production 4 channel of a tubing string; an axially disposed central core section having threads in its upper end for attachment to the lower end of a tubing string section, and having threads in its lower end for attachment to the upper end of a tubing string section therebelow; an annular depending skirt below and of greater internal diameter than the external diameter of the core section, said skirt adapted to spacedly surround the lower string'section concentrically; afcircular parain cutting edge onthe lcwer'end ofthe skirt; lateral circumferentially spaced openings in the wall of v`said skirt below said core section and around the lower string section, said openings forming an escape path for paraffin scraped from the well 'casingyand circumferentially spaced slots in the exterior surface of said body and in communication with said openings to form a continuation of fsaid Aescape path.

3. A production tubing attachment for Scraping paraflin from an oil well casing, including: a tubate core section internally threaded to Vreceive adjacent fends ofaxially aligned 4tubing sections extending above and below the same; a lower depending annular skirt portion, of greater internal diameter than the circumference -of the lower tubing section, and spacedly surrounding the same concentrically; a lcircular parafnroutting edge on the lower 'end of kthe skirt portion; circumferentially spaced openings through the Wall of said skirt portion, said openingstproviding escape paths for paraflin scraped from the YWell casing byvsaid cutting edge ;fand radially Aprojecting circumferentially spaced vvertical ribs vformed in the periphery of the core section throughout its length, to provide vertical slots which .'form Avertical continuations of said escape paths.

VARNEY S. HARLIN.l

References cited in the 'fue of :this patent "UNITED STKATES-PATENTS Number Name "Date 42,182,931 Penrod Deel2, 1939 2,283,048 Collett May 12,"1'942 `2,475,160 Stamos July5, 1949 YFOREIGN PATENTS Number `Country 'Date :681,943 Germany- A` Get. f4, 11939 

